A Traveler’s Guide to Celebrating Halloween in Naples

Haunted places with spirits and witchcraft, damp catacombs and deconsecrated necropolises. The most hidden secrets of the city of Naples are just waiting to be revealed in the most frightening night of the year. Let's find out what to do on Halloween if you happen to be in Naples next time for an unforgettable, thrilling day. Whether you're a local, new in town, or just passing through, you'll be sure to find something that piques your interest.

The most mysterious and enigmatic festival of the year will be upon us again next year. If you are tired of seeing yet another horror movie and you no longer have the age to knock on doors asking: "Trick or treat?" here are the most hidden places to learn about the dark side of the city of Naples.

A Wicked Cemetery

40,000 human remains, including skeletal heads ("capuzzelle") and bones, are housed in one of the most fascinating and frightening Italian cemeteries: the Fontanelle Cemetery. A place of mysticism and culture in which the vicissitudes of countless victims of the plague and cholera have merged with years of stories and superstition giving life to a characteristic setting, emblem of Neapolitan folklore.

The Tour of Cruelty

A journey that takes you back to the time of the Inquisition and the tortures that were then inflicted every day. This consists of a guided tour inside the Torture Museum of Naples, the most evocative display of torture instruments in Southern Italy. An itinerary to the knowledge of the most varied memorabilia of martyrdom which makes us reflect on how much the abominations of history can be more gruesome than a horror film.

Credit: Napo Like

The Vampire's Grave

Not everyone knows it, but it is in Naples that the most famous vampire in history is buried. It is the Count Dracula himself whose remains seem to be found in the Monumental Complex of Santa Maria la Nova. In fact, some reconstructions tell that the count did not die in the war, but was captured by the Turks, who would have released him to his daughter Maria, resident in Naples, following a ransom.

Credit: Cruisebe

Ghosts, Spirits and Haunted Buildings

We could not miss the haunted places and victims of curses and spells. Naples is full of mysterious caves in which unexplained phenomena occur, of obscure tufa caves, underground tunnels and ghostly apparitions.

The Palace of the Spirits, or Villarosa, is a ruin of a Roman villa from the 1st century BC. It stands on the evocative scenery of Pausilypon's archaeological and marine park, and it appears to have been the place of mysterious events, magnetic forces and night rituals related to the cult of the goddess Isis.

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Source: Visit Naples